NovelOnline
Chapter 925
Catelyn did not care about being the object of ridicule, but when they joked about her father, she could
not hold back her temper.
Her expression suddenly changed from calm to aggressive, and she said in a strong voice, "Tens of
millions of dollars for a fake oil painting as a gift for Grandma? Is this a joke? I destroyed it so it won't
embarrass her when you all found out it was fake! Shouldn't I be thanked?"
"A fake oil painting?" Tracy’s heart sank when she heard that.
Truth be told, she did not buy this painting at a Swiss auction house but at an underground trading
house outside the auction house instead. The seller swore that it was an authentic artwork and gave
her a receipt that looked indifferent from one from a regular auction house.
Afterward, she rushed back to America to take care of Eugene, so she did not have time to verify that
painting.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt'But how could Catelyn know at a glance that it was a fake? She must be bluffing.' The lady who
defended Tracy sneered again and said, "Miss Atherton, you seem to know oil painting, but didn't you
major in architecture?"
"Miss Atherton, I know that what Tracy said has offended you, but don't take it to heart. I'll make amends on her
behalf, but this painting was bid through a regular auction, and it has been certified by art experts."
Sammy did not want to cause trouble, but when she heard Catelyn call Tracy's name, she immediately became
anxious.
Spending around ten million dollars on a fake oil painting was humiliating. Some might think that they could not tell
the difference and were hence fooled, but others might think that they deliberately wanted to fool Granny Atherton
with a fake painting.
That was a slander that Tracy and Sammy would not want to bear.
Sammy's concession made the rumor that Catelyn had been bullying them seem even truthful. Those ladies who
secretly disliked Catelyn because of her sudden gain of social status and wealth as Miss Atherton were enraged.
Catelyn was not provoked by that, and she even explained calmly, 'Fake paintings in the market generally use
printing technology, but that isn't the case with this painting. It's a fake hand-painted copy, so it bears over ninety
percent similarity to the real one. That increases a certain degree of difficulty in identification-"
’Since it is difficult, how can you be sure that this is a fake?"
"Because the nineteenth century wasn't as developed as today's commodities, to preserve oil paintings for a long
time, oil painters would apply a layer of varnish after the pigments are completely dry. Different painters generally
use different methods. I had the honor of seeing Morison's other masterpieces up close before. For other oil
paintings of his, the varnish he used was specially made by him. The smell of rosin in those paintings was unique
and lasting, but the smell in this is impure as it is mixed with a very light paint smell. Hence, it's likely that this is a
forged painting by a painter with good mimicking skill."
People who did not know oil painting was confused. They found it suspicious that it was able to determine the
authenticity of a painting by the smell of varnish which had been there for over a hundred years.
For a while, they did not know who to trust.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHowever, Tracy's face turned pale.
Obviously, she, too, knew about the method of using varnish on oil painting for identification, but she
did not want to believe that the one she had was a fake copy.
"You said you smelled paint, but I couldn't smell that! What a wonderful story that you made there! I
admire your imagination!"
"Then, why don't everyone go and smell it?" Sammy feebly suggested. She believed that what Tracy
bought must be an authentic art piece.
After watching the play for so long, Sylvie frowned. "Now there's a layer of red wine on the oil painting.
The aroma of the wine is so strong that it overwhelms the other smells. I think it's hard to smell it."
’That's right! She did it on purpose!"
"She purposely spilled red wine on it to destroy the smell and then deceived everyone about the smell
of paint by making up a fake story. All I can pick up is the fragrance of pear wood. Stop spewing
nonsense about the varnish-"
’I believe what my wife said is true." Listening to the chatter, Cedrick suddenly raised his voice,
intending to protect his wife.
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